CAIRO: Newly enrolled students at the American University in Cairo need not worry about following the university's complicated system to prepare for their freshman year; the new Student Service Center (SSC) brings together several offices that are located on three different campuses. The center, considered the first of its kind in Egypt, was launched on July 19. It combines the functions of offices such as enrollment, admissions, financial affairs, testing, advising, scheduling and issuing an ID. SSC is currently limited to serving freshmen students. However, it will be open to all students by the end of this year, according to Randa Kamel, director at the office of enrollment services. "The SSC is at its pilot phase now, and it will go through several phases by the time AUC moves to the new campus in fall 2008, said Kamel. At the new campus, she explained, the center will occupy an entire building to make it more efficient. Regardless of the move to the new campus, this project was launched to ease the administrative process for AUC students and for the university to keep up with international standards, she added. "The center is organized and assists me with everything I need to do, from issuing an ID to paying fees, said Nermine Sallam, a freshman at AUC. Sallam says the process runs smoother now, comparing her experience to her brothers. Three years ago, when he was accepted, "he had to go from one office to the other in order to complete his paperwork. Another freshman, Noha Ibrahim, also found the center to be useful and efficient. "It's very helpful and much easier than going to [several] places; it also helps me with any questions I might have concerning my first year, she said. Other students, however, were not so pleased with the SSC. "It's too crowded, disorganized and nobody follows the system, said Carine Karnouk. "While it is a good idea, the execution of it is not very effective. Reem Salama agreed, saying that "the center should have been built to hold more people. Feedback is welcome and encouraged since the university is still working on further developing the center, university officials said. "We have certain targets that we want to reach, including decreasing the maximum waiting time, and we receive reports daily to help us reach our goals and minimize complaints, said Kamel. The university is working on forming a committee by the end of the month dedicated to improving the standards of the center. In addition, the company that helped design the center, Booz Allen Hamiliton, monitors and reports on its efficiency.
